Inventory of the Records of the Warren
Commission

For access to these records, contact the Special Access and FOIA Staff,
National Archives and Records Administration, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 20740,
(301) 837-3190, E-mail: specialaccess_foia@nara.gov.

Entry 1: Proceedings and Minutes of Executive Sessions of the Commission1963-1964, 4 inches

Arranged chronologically by date of session.

Transcripts of proceedings of the Commission for executive sessions of December 5,
6, and 16, 1963 (no volume number given), January 21 (volume 4), January 27 (volume 5),
February 24 (volume 16), March 16 (volume 24B), April 30 (volume 40), May 19 (volume 45),
June 4 (volume 46), and June 23, 1964 (volume 55).

Minutes of a session on September 18, 1964.

The proceedings and minutes relate to the organization and administration of the Commission
and the conduct of its investigation. The volumes are numbered in sequence with those of the
transcripts of proceedings of hearings of the Commission (see Entry
37).

Looseleaf register showing date letter was received, name of writer, subject of letter, and
sometimes the name of the person to whom the letter was referred. Includes entries for letters
transmitting reports or giving information to the Commission (see Entry
8), letters containing comments and inquiries from the public (see Entries 23 and 24), and letters relating to the administration of the Commission's
affairs (see Entry 11, Entry 13, Entry 17, Entry 20, and Entry 34).

Numerical list of the investigative reports and other basic documents received by the
Commission. Shows number of document, source, name of agency and field office for
investigative reports, identification of the document, date, and security classification. For the
documents and related indexes, see Entries 5 through 8.

Entry 5: Index to Names in Secret Service Reports

1964, 4 feet

Arranged alphabetically by name.

Electrostatic copy of Secret Service index, on 3- by 5-inch cards, to names of persons,
businesses, radio stations, and miscellaneous subjects. Also included are such items as "Welcome
Mr. Kennedy to Dallas," the title of an advertisement appearing in the Dallas Times
Herald on November 22, 1963. Entries show name or subject involved, control number of
Secret Service report (see Entry 8) in which the name or subject is
mentioned and the file number for the investigation (CO-2-34,030).

Entry 6: Index to Addresses and Telephone and other Numbers in Secret Service
Reports

1964, 1 foot

Arranged as follows:

Addresses

alphabetically by name or numerically by number of street and

a few alphabetically by name of street;

Telephone numbers in part alphabetically and thereunder numerically and in part in straight
numerical order;

Miscellaneous numbers in part alphabetically and thereunder numerically and in part in
straight numerical order.

Electrostatic copy of Secret Service index, on 3- by 5- inch cards, to addresses, telephone
numbers, and miscellaneous numbers such as car license and registration numbers, social security
numbers, and selective service numbers involved in the investigation. Entries show address or
number involved, control number or numbers of Secret Service reports among the Commission
documents (see Entry 8) in which the address or number is
mentioned, Secret Service file number for the case (CO-2-34,030), and name of person involved.

On 5- by 8-inch cards, showing names of persons mentioned in early numbered Commission
documents (see Entry 8), sometimes identifications and addresses,
and numbers of the documents in which the persons are mentioned. Prepared for the use of staff
members working on the "Ruby area" of the investigation. Commission Document 54 was the
last
document indexed. For the documents, see Entry 8.

Entry 8: Numbered Commission Document File

1963 to 1964, with some records of earlier dates. 30 feet

Arranged numerically by Commission document number, 1-1555.

Consists mainly of investigative reports of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and to a lesser
extent of reports form the Secret Service and the Central Intelligence Agency. Includes the
comprehensive reports submitted to the President in December 1963 by the Federal Bureau of
Investigation, the State Department, and the Secret Service, as well as the investigative reports
and other documents on which they were based; other reports and copies of files submitted by
these agencies, the Central Intelligence Agency, and other departments and agencies at the
request of the Commission; documents relating to the assassination and the lives of Lee Harvey
Oswald and Jack Ruby submitted by the attorney general of Texas, the Dallas Police Department,
and other agencies in Texas and other States; a few letters form private citizens and copies of
publication; photographs, tape records, and the Zapruder slides (CD 858); and other records. A
few of the documents are missing. Much of the material in entries 9-12 of this inventory consists
of copies of documents or parts or documents from this file arranged by name or subject for
reference
use of the Commission's staff. For a related list and indexes relating to some of the documents,
see Entries 4 through 7.

A name file for reference purposes relating to 589 persons. Includes one or more folders for
each of the 552 witnesses who testified before the Commission, gave depositions, or made
affidavits, and for other persons who were involved in the investigation to a significant extent.
Consists chiefly of electrostatic copies, but also includes carbon copies and a few signed original
documents. Among the papers are Commission documents (see Entry
8); transcripts of testimony, depositions, and affidavits given by the witnesses;
memorandums concerning the background of the persons involved, establishing schedules for
hearing witnesses, or suggesting areas of investigation; covering letters transmitting depositions;
33 tape recordings relating to the activities of Mark Lane; and other records. Often the papers
consist only of individual pages relating to particular persons, these pages having been taken or
copies from the documents to which they belong. The records relating to the alleged assassin,
Lee Harvey Oswald (5 feet), are divided into four period of his life, the pre-Russian period (1939
to 1959), the Russian period (1959 to 1962), the post-Russian period (1962 to 1963), and his
murder by Jack Ruby.

The Records of Key Persons are available through NARA's Online Catalog, National Archives Identifier
605417.

Arranged alphabetically by name of person, organization, or establishment.

A name file for reference purposes relating chiefly to persons who were involved in the
investigation in a minor way in comparison with those in the "Key Persons" series (see Entry 9, but also including records relating to organizations or establishments
such as the John Birch Society, the Carousel Club, the Communist Party, Parkland Memorial
Hospital, the Vegas Club, and The Worker. Records relating to Government
agencies are
in a separate series (see Entry 11). Composed mainly of
electrostatic copies of investigative reports or parts of such reports from investigative agencies
(see
Entry 8), in which the persons or organizations in this series were
mentioned or the results of interviews with them were reported.

Entry 11: Records Relating to "Governmental Agencies Involved"

1963 to 1964, with some records of earlier dates. 3 feet

Arranged by federal agencies, state and local agencies, and foreign countries; thereunder
alphabetically by federal Agency, state, city, or country; and thereunder chronologically by date of
document. There are separate folders for Dallas and New Orleans at the end of the records
relating to cities.

Correspondence with federal, state, and local government agencies involving the initial
request of the Commission to federal departments and agencies and congressional committees for
all information in their files relating to the subject matter of the investigation, and additional
requests to federal, state, and local agencies for information as the investigation developed.
Included are copies of Commission documents (see Entry 8). Both
the records relating to state agencies and two folders relating to foreign countries contain
documents received from federal investigative agencies. The files also contain documents
received directly from the state agencies and from foreign governments.

Arranged according to the "Investigative and Evidence" section of the file classification
scheme and chronologically thereunder.

A subject file for reference purposes relating to the assassination consisting of copies of all or
parts of Commission documents (see Entry 8) and other Commission
records relating to specific subjects involved, such as the assassination site, the arrest and
interrogation of Lee Harvey Oswald, evidence tending to show the guilt of Oswald, information
concerning other suspects, witnesses, and other matters.

Entry 13: Correspondence Relating to Photographs and Press Clippings

1963 to 1964, negligible volume

Arranged chronologically by date of letter.

Concerns the acquisition and use of photographs and press clippings by the Commission.

Copies of investigative reports by the FBI relating to such subjects as:

the identification of photographers and the time, place, and type of camera involved in taking
certain photographs and motion picture films; and

the identification by Marina Oswald of certain photographs found among Lee Harvey
Oswald's possessions. Some are identified as Commission documents or parts of these
documents (see Entry 8).

Included are a few items
involving maps.

Entry 15: Photographs

1963, 4 inches

Arranged by source.

Included are negatives and glossy prints. The prints show scenes at the Texas School Book
Depository building, in the Dallas Police Department building the night after the assassination of
President Kennedy, in the basement of the Police Department building at the time of the murder of
Oswald, and at other places in Dallas. Other photographs are filed in other series of the
Commission records, including the Commission documents and reference files (see Entries 8 through 12 and exhibits (see Entry 42).

The clippings are partly arranged by subject according to the Commission's file classification
scheme; the remaining clippings and the newspapers are arranged chronologically.

Original press clippings, electrostatic copies of press clippings, and whole copies of certain
newspapers. Other press clippings and copies of clippings are filed in other series of the
Commission's records, including the Commission documents and reference files (see Entries 8 through 12 and exhibits (see Entry 42),
and the letters received by the Commission (see Entries 23 and 24).

Entry 17: Correspondence Relating to Films and Tape Recordings

1963 to 1964, 5 inches

Arranged chronologically by date of letter.

Concerns the acquisition and use of motion picture films, radio tapes, and television tapes and
films by the Commission.

one 16-mm, reel consisting of a silent WDSU-TV (New Orleans) film taken on August 16,
1963, of Lee Harvey Oswald distributing leaflets on behalf of the Fair Play for Cuba Committee
and on August 12, 1963, outside the Municipal Court at New Orleans on the day of Oswald's
court appearance, and a sound film interview on August 21, 1963, at the WDSU studios shortly
after a radio program in which Oswald participated;

an 8-mm. film entitled "President Kennedy's Final Hour," produced by Dallas Cinema
Associates, Inc., from films taken by photographers along the route of the President's motorcade;

a 16-mm. film of the President's motorcade taken by an unidentified amateur photographer,
furnished to the Commission by Wolper Productions, Inc.;

a 16-mm. film which includes scenes of District Attorney Wade of Dallas speaking in the
Dallas Police Department building and some silent film;

a 16-mm. film of Lee Harvey Oswald speaking in the assembly room of the Dallas Police
Department;

a 16-m. film of unidentified origin, accompanied by an explanatory Secret Service
memorandum, showing an aerial view of the site of the assassination and an interview with a
gunsmith concerning Oswald's rifle and the mounting of telescopic sights;

reels 65 and 66 of 16-mm. National Broadcasting Co. film relating to the shooting of
Oswald; and

an 8-mm. United Press International film showing only a title relating to the
assassination.

For the Zapruder film (CE 904), Nix (CE 905), and Muchmore (CE 906) films, see Entry 42. For the Zapruder slides (CD 858), see Entry
8.

The Dallas and Voice of America tapes are arranged alphabetically by station that made the
original broadcast and thereunder numerically by number of tape.

Included are:

a recording of Lee Harvey Oswald's radio interview in New Orleans after his arrest in
connection with his activities for the Fair Play for Cuba Committee;

a recording of an interview with Father Huber, who administered the last rites to President
Kennedy; and

tapes of broadcasts by Dallas radio stations and the Voice of America for the period of the
assassination and its aftermath, November 22-27, 1963, accompanied by outlines of the contents
of the Dallas tapes. Other tape recordings are in other series of the Commission records (see Entry 8, Entry 9, and Entry 44).

Arranged according to the "Presidential Commission" section of the file classification scheme
and chronologically thereunder.

Records relating to the administration, organization, and functions of the Commission,
including:

correspondence and office memorandums of General Counsel
J.
Lee Rankin relating to such general administrative matters as payment of Commission
expenses, arrangements for hearings of the Commission, publication of the Report
of the Commission, organization of the
Commission's records, and transfer of its records and certain exhibits to the National Archives;

a notebook listing long distance telephone calls of the Commission and its staff;

time and attendance reports of employees;

accounting records relating to payment of salaries and expenses;

memorandums and form letters relating to the handling of correspondence;

Two memorandums summarizing conferences between representatives of the Commission
and of other agencies concerning matters involved in the investigation of the assassination and
minutes and memorandums in the nature of minutes of staff meetings at which:

the Chief Justice state the reasons for his undertaking his duties as Chairman of the
Commission;

a deadline was set for submitting comprehensive memorandums reviewing the investigative
materials available and outline a future course of action;

the question of the proper handling of the allegations that Oswald was an undercover agent
of the Federal Bureau of Investigation o other investigative agencies was discussed;

a target date was set for the preparation of indexes and preliminary memorandums on the
areas for which members of the staff were responsible;

"Principles of Protections of the President and Other Dignitaries," a manual of the
Secret Service School dated January 4, 1954;

a report on "Parade Routes," dated July 10, 1964, by the Dallas Office of the Service
concerning the most commonly used parade routes in Dallas (CD 1499 in Entry 8); and

"Report of the U.S. Secret Service on the Assassination of President Kennedy," dated
December 18, 1963, in two volumes (CD 3);

other records consisting of a memorandum entitled "Appendix 18/A Brief History of
Presidential Protection," other memorandums concerning Presidential protection, and
correspondence of the Commission with the Secret Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation,
the Central Intelligence Agency, and other agencies, including investigative reports concerning:

measures for the protection of the President before and during the trip to Texas;

criticism of Secret Service agents for alleged misconduct in Fort Worth;

Sections 1-5 are arranged chronologically by date under each section; section 6 is arranged
alphabetically by name of correspondent.

Entry 24: Letters Received by the Chief Justice

1963, 1 foot

Arranged alphabetically by name of writer.

Letters to the Chief Justice dated before the Commission began its hearings, with a few
addressed to the President, expressing opinions about the assassination and the investigation,
giving advice, or encouraging the Commission in its work. Newspaper clippings are enclosed in
many.

Entry 27: Records Relating to the Preparation of the Report of the
Commission

1964, 2 feet

Correspondence and memorandums, arranged chronologically, among Commission
and staff members, other agencies, and the public concerning corrections, revisions, printing, and
distribution of the Report and correspondence between the Commission and other
agencies concerning permission to publish certain documents;

various sections of the Report dated from June to September 1964, some of
which
are labeled "Draft," "Third Draft," "Proposed Final Draft," or "Final Draft," arranged
chronologically; and

preliminary summaries of evidence available in February 1964, drafts of sections of the
Report, and memorandums concerning revisions and corrections, filed alphabetically
by
name of staff member preparing the section of the Report involved. See also
Entry 34.

Entry 28: Manuscript of the Report and Hearings of the
Commission

1964, 30 feet

Original typewritten manuscript of the final Report of the Commission to the
President, with printer's marks and editorial corrections; transcripts of proceedings of hearings of
the Commission used as manuscript, with printer's marks, for the Hearings of the
Commission; and copies of exhibits used by the Government Printing Office in volumes
XVI-XXVI of the Hearings. For the original transcripts of proceedings of hearings,
see
Entry 37, Entry 38, and Entry 40; for the originals and other copies of exhibits, see Entry 42.

Entry 29: Index to Names of Persons Involved in the Hearings of the
Commission

1964, 2 feet

Arranged alphabetically by name of person.

Original copy of index on 3- by 5-inch cards, with printer's marks and editorial revisions, to
names of witnesses testifying and persons referred to in the testimony of the Commission, at the
end of which the index is published (Hearings, volume XV, p. 253-801).

Entry 30: Index to Exhibits Relating to Depositions

1964, 3 inches

Arranged alphabetically by name of witness and thereunder numerically by exhibit number or
alphabetically by designating letter of exhibit.

Original copy with printer's marks and editorial revisions, on 3- by 5-inch cards, of the index
to Commission exhibits introduced in connection with depositions of witnesses. Published in
Hearings of the Commission (volume XV, p. 813-826). Page numbers given in the
index
are those on which the specified exhibit is mentioned in the Hearings.

Printer's galley proof of the Report of the Commission. Contains editorial
revisions,
sometimes of paragraph or sentence length.

Entry 32: Page Proof of the Report and Hearings of the
Commission

1964, 10 feet

Printer's page proof of the Report and Hearings, including certain
exhibits, of
the Commission. Contains some revisions as well as stylistic changes of words or phrases.
Approved for printing by General Counsel J. Lee Rankin.

Entry 33: Records of the Government Printing Office relating to the Report of
the Commission

April 8 to December 4, 1964, 8 feet

Correspondence and memorandums arranged chronologically by date of document and
negatives arranged in accordance with the Report and Hearings of the
Commission.

A duplicate of the presentation copy of the Report of the Commission that was
presented to the President by the Commission on September 24, 1964, at the White House; a
photograph of this copy; a file of correspondence, memorandums, dummy pages, proofs, and
other working papers relating to the production and sale of the Report and
Hearings of the Commission; and photographic negatives used in the production of
the
Report and Hearings. The file includes a copy of a letter of December
1, 1964,
from the Public Printer to the Archivist of the United States transmitting the presentation copy to
the National Archives and explaining the circumstances of its production.

Entry 34: Correspondence on Publication of the Report and
Hearings of the
Commission

Staff memorandums and correspondence of the Commission with government agencies and
with the public concerning requests relating to the printing and distribution of the
Report and Hearings of the Commission.

A looseleaf notebook containing rough notes; lists of depositions charged out to a staff
member; lists of witnesses who testified before the Commission or from who depositions were
taken, including a list arranged numerically by volume of depositions in which the witness's
testimony appeals (see Entry 40); copies of memorandums and
correspondence; a summary dated May 7, 1964, of the testimony of witnesses from whom
depositions had been taken up to that time, with an attached index by name of witness; and
records relating to a court reporter's bill for his services in taking depositions.

Entry 36: Subject Index to Proceedings of Hearings of the Commission

1964, 5 inches

Arranged according to the file classification scheme and thereunder alphabetically by name of
witness.

Transcripts of proceedings of the Commission during which testimony of witnesses was
heard. The volumes are numbered in sequence with those of the transcripts of proceedings of
executive sessions of the Commission (see Entry 1). For Volume
57, see Entry 46. For copy of these transcripts used in the
Hearings of the Commission, see Entry 28.

Entry 38: Proceedings of Sessions at which Testimony of Mark Lane was Heard

March 4, 1964, and July 2, 1964, Volumes 1 and 2, negligible volume

Transcripts of proceedings of the Commission during which testimony of Mark Lane,
attorney
for Lee Harvey Oswald's mother, was heard. The volumes are numbered separately from those in
the preceding series. For copy of these transcripts used in the Hearings of the
Commission, see Entry 28.

These notes were turned over to the Commission for destruction by Ward and Paul, Official
Reporters. The notes are still in their original form in sealed packages. Filed at the end of the
series are a reporter's notebook, six sound recordings, and six photographic negatives relating to
depositions.

Entry 40: Depositions

1964, Volumes 1 to 203, 9 feet

Arranged numerically by volume number.

Both typewritten copies and processed copies of depositions of witnesses. There are also
summaries of depositions. These is a numerical list of the volumes showing the names of
witnesses whose depositions appear in them in the notebook relating to witnesses and their
testimony (see Entry 35). For copies of these depositions used in
the Hearings of the Commission, see Entry 28.

Arranged in part numerically by Commission exhibit number and in part alphabetically by
name of person giving deposition and numerically or alphabetically thereunder, or numerically by
FBI number.

Originals and copies of exhibits, including artifacts, textual records, films, and
photographs, received by the Commission in connection with testimony or relied upon by the
Commission in its Report. For copies of exhibits used in the Hearings
of the Commission, see Entry 28.

Other evidence not assigned an exhibit number by the Commission.

Photographs of many of the most frequently requested items are reproduced in NARA's
online catalog.

The maps and photographs are arranged numerically by the number by which they are listed in
Commission Document 298 (see Entry 8).

Scale models of the Dealey Plaza area in Dallas, site of the assassination (scale 1/4
inch to 1 foot), and the area in the basement of the Dallas Police Department building in which
Lee Harvey Oswald was killed (scale « inch to 1 foot).

large mounted maps of the city of Dallas marked to show places related to the assassination
and the routes of the President's motorcade from Love Field to the site of the assassination and
from there to Parkland Memorial Hospital; and

large mounted aerial and ground level photographs of downtown Dallas, the Dealey Plaza
area, and other areas and places related to the assassination. These visual aids, prepared by the
FBI, were displayed in the conference room of the Commission. Commission Document 298,
composed of colored photographs of these visual aids and information concerning them, describes
the origin and purpose of the scale models as follows: "Scale models were developed showing in
minute detail pertinent physical features of each site, including reproductions of vehicles. These
three dimensional exhibits will assist eyewitnesses in clearly demonstrating their recollections of
the events occurring at the time of the shootings, thus making it possible for those who have not
visited these sites to gain a full and clear understanding of the happenings surrounding each
event."

Arranged alphabetically by name of staff member with the working papers, 27 Dictaphone
belts, and three NBC audio tapes of a "special project" for the use of video and audio tapes filed
at the end.

Consists of duplicate copies of Commission documents (see Entry
8), testimony, correspondence, memorandums, and other material of the Commission
relating to areas of the investigation for which the staff members were responsible; newspaper
clippings; and drafts of sections of the Report of the Commission with revisions and
marginal suggestions for revisions.

Entry 45: Oswald-Ruby Chronology and Summary of Chronology

May 1964, 8 volumes, 5 inches

Chronology of events in the lives of Oswald, Ruby, and other principals investigated by the
Commission for the period from September 1959 to November 24, 1963. Citations to sources of
information among the records of the Commission are given. The seven-volume chronology is
condensed in a one-volume summary.

Transcript of a meeting at which General Counsel J. Lee Rankin, other members of the staff,
and John J. McCloy and Allen W. Dulles, members of the Commission, were present. The
purpose of the meeting was "an informal colloquy, interrogation, and explanation by [Drs. Dale C.
Cameron, Howard P. Rome, and David A. Rothstein] in regard to their observations from
material furnished to them" relating to a psychiatric interpretation of Lee Harvey Oswald.
Includes
a general discussion with personal points of view set forth. The volume is not numbered, but the
numbering of the pages (7821 to 8071) indicates that it was volume 57 of the transcripts of the
Commission (see Entry 37).

Entry 47: Indexes to Subjects Relating to the Assassination and to Lee Harvey
Oswald

1964, 4 inches

Two incomplete indexes on 5- by 8-inch cards to various subjects relating to

the assassination, such as the blanket in which Oswald kept his rifle wrapped, clothing he
wore on the day of the assassination, fingerprints, and Oswald's movements in the Texas School
Book Depository building; and

Oswald's life in general, such as a reported interest in buying a car, his contacts with the
FBI, his use of the name "Hidell," and job applications he made.

Electrostatic copies of the following papers relating to the assassination and autopsy of
President Kennedy:

Certificate of Death filed in Texas;

letter dated November 26, 1963, from Commanding Officer, U.S. Naval Medical School,
concerning laws and regulations regarding the confidential nature of the events relating to the
autopsy;

receipt from the FBI for a missile recovered during the examination of the body;

letter dated November 22, 1963, from Dr. M.T. Jenkins, Department of Anesthesiology of
the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, to the Administrator, Parkland Memorial
Hospital, concerning resuscitative efforts for President Kennedy, together with a letter of
November 23, 1963, from Dr. Kemp Clark to Dr. George G. Burkley and the summary of his
findings of treatment and examination of the President; and

two National Naval Medical Center documents together with certified copies, relating to
X-rays and photographic films prepared during the autopsy of President Kennedy.

The original and six pink copies of Certificate of Death (NAVMED N), consisting of the
ribbon copy, five carbon copies, and a pencil draft of the Navy Certificate of Death, all on the
pink "NAVMED N" form;

Memorandum of transfer of material relating to the autopsy of President Kennedy from Vice
Adm. George G. Burkley to the Kennedy family on April 26, 1965.

Entry 53: "Wound Ballistics of 6.5-MM. Mannlicher-Carcano Ammunition"

March 1965, 1 item

A technical report (CRDLR 3264) of the Chemical Research and Development Laboratories
of
Edgewood Arsenal prepared by Dr. Alfred G. Olivier and Dr. Arthur J. Dziemian in connection
with their work for the Commission.